What you can build
AR Clip is known for AR, but you can build any interactive 3D project that opens from a link. Here is what people make, and when another tool is a better fit.
Every project opens from a link, on any device, with nothing to install. Using the camera is up to you.
Projects without AR
These run in the browser on a phone, tablet, laptop or headset. No app store is involved.
Product configurators
Visitors pick a finish, a size or a layout, see the product change, and get a link to buy. This is the most common commercial project on AR Clip.
→ A product configurator, step by step
Product and portfolio viewers
Show one model with orbit controls and good lighting. It opens instantly, you can embed it in your own page, and it can replace a gallery of photos.
Games
Physics, characters, multiplayer and an on-screen interface. Games stay small enough to open from a link.
Training and simulation
Take a machine apart, step through a procedure, or get to know a place before you go there. All you need is interactivity and an on-screen interface, and AR Clip has both.
Data and dashboards in 3D
Show a building with live sensor data, a floor plan with occupancy, or a model with hotspots. A script brings in your data, and the scene shows it.
Presentations and installations
Run a project on a screen at an event, on a kiosk or in a meeting. A timer or the presenter moves it along.
Projects with AR
Use the camera when the place where the visitor stands is part of the idea.
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Something printed to come alive | an Image or QR scene |
| Furniture in the visitor's own room | a Surface scene |
| A filter or a virtual try-on | a Face scene |
| Directions and labels across a whole venue | VPS |
| To take the visitor somewhere else | a 360° scene |
Where it runs
You build one project. You do not need a separate version for each platform.
| Where | How it opens |
|---|---|
| Phone browsers | from the published link or a QR code |
| Desktop browsers | from the same link |
| iOS App Clip | from a link, a code or an NFC tag, with no install |
| AR Clip app | with richer graphics, for heavier projects |
| Headset browsers | from the same link, through WebXR |
| Your own website | embedded with a snippet of code |
When to use another tool
Some projects are better built elsewhere. It helps to know this early:
- A regular 2D app, such as a form, a list or a settings screen. Ordinary web tools are faster for this. AR Clip's interface layer is made to sit on top of a 3D scene.
- Offline-first work. AR Clip projects open from a link, so they do not suit offline use.
- Very heavy simulation, such as thousands of physics objects acting on each other. A browser will struggle with it. The AR Clip app can handle much more.
Everything else that is visual, spatial or interactive is a good fit.
Next: Quick start — build and publish your first project in ten minutes.